Hi, procrastinators! Today I'm back for Tip Tuesday, and for this week, I have another guest post from H. She has a great post about distractions. H, take it away!~

What’s up??? H is back for another tippy Tuesday for mi amiga, T!!! She, once again, asked me to be a guest writer for her wonderful blog, how could I say no? Very easily, n-o spells no. Naw, I couldn’t do it, I love T too much to ever say no to her. So, you guys get to deal with me and my special tip until next week!So this tip, I thought up of because of my sister’s cat, Romeow (cutest name ever for a cat btw). I was writing and writing and writing, and then he jumped into my lap (like he is doing at this current moment) to get my attention… and won. So that made me think of a great tip: how NOT to get distracted while you are trying to write. Distractions are everywhere. I mean everywhere. Pets, humans, books, internet, phone, lamps, aliens, puppies, I mean everywhere. And it’s human nature to be distracted by all of these things, especially because of puppies. Who doesn’t love puppies? See, there we go! I just got distracted! So here are ten tips to help you NOT get distracted while trying to write your precious story. 1) Plug in some music, music that gives you proper inspiration to write, write and write. This can be from songs with lyrics, to just instrumental, whatever works for you the best. 2) For those who get distracted by the computer, try writing on regular pen and paper and then later transfer it over to a document (‘Sides, who doesn’t like the feel of ink and paper?)3) Place your phone to the side or on silent. Make sure it can’t be a distraction. If you have to lock it in a steel box and then throw that box into the ocean and the key into a pit of lava, then go ahead! Again, whatever works best for you. 4) Focus. If you feel your mind wander off, breathe, and then just get back to writing. Focus on your paper and write. 5) Takes break every now and again. For example, write for 30 minutes, and then take a ten minute break to check your phone or whatever. But the moment time runs out (to ensure this, maybe set a timer) get back into writing.6) http://getcoldturkey.com/ Try this website now. Like go… right now. This website, though it might sound dumb, is the most useful thing ever. Not just for writing, but for even when you are trying to study for a huge test or doing homework. This site will temporarily block websites, like YouTube or Facebook or, anything for a certain amount of time. It helps so you don’t get distracted. 7) Go to a quiet corner in your house away from all the distractions and again, write, write, write.8) Set a goal for yourself. Say, I will write ten pages, and then I can use my phone (two tips in one, rewarding yourself!) And then so on and so forth. 9) Give yourself inspiration, that way, when you are inspired, you won’t want to stop writing. (This happens to me very often ;))10) Finally, I can’t think of a last tip but I like complete lists with the number 10 so… YAY!!!And there you have it blog readers of T. My list of ten things (really nine) to help make sure you don’t get distracted. I hope this works out for you guys, tell me in the comments if you have any others tips cause I would love to have T to add them to it (because I don’t want to do it and she can add it for me). I’ll see you guys again later the moment T allows for me!!!!~H

Hi, procrastinators!I know I usually blog about books, or writing, but lately, I've decided to widen my blogging topics to include another art that's near and dear to my heart-music.Lately I've been trying to find new music to listen to because, quite frankly, I'm tired of pop music. I used to be perfect content with turning on the Top 40 station. But lately, there seems to be less of a difference between each song, and a growing dearth of talent. It's kind of depressing to know extremely gifted musicians whose music won't be appreciated because most Americans would rather listen to the songs of Charli XCX (which I just can't force myself to like, no matter how hard I try) and Iggy Azalea (because I don't think I've ever hated a song more than I've hated "Beg For It"). And I've decided I'm not going to let it happen anymore-at least, not where I'm concerned.So this coming year, I'm going to do something about it. I'm going to take the pop station out of my presets and start searching for music that I like, instead of having it picked for me. I'll find a new radio station, add some new artists on Spotify, and do some YouTubing, and each week, I'll pick the song that I found that I liked best-so long that it's not on the Top 40 list. In a perfect world, this means 52 weeks, 52 songs, and-hopefully-a much larger, much more varied repertoire to listen to. :)For those who want to follow along, I'll summarize the challenge in TL;DR format. Be sure to comment below and let me know you're participating! Maybe you can guest post your progress!~Find a new radio station of choice, (preferably) not a Top 40 Station.~Search for new bands and songs to listen to.~At the end of each week, pick a song of the week, which you can share on your own blog or other places, like a Spotify playlist.Questions? Recommendations? Want to participate with me? Comment below!T

So anyone who loves YA books like me knows that "young adult" is a broad and slightly ineffective umbrella term. Because it encompasses everything from Twilight to The Fault in Our Stars, young adult can literally mean anything. If someone was to give me a book with a blank cover and tell me nothing but "it's young adult," I'd have no idea what I was about to read.

Fortunately, more discerning young adult readers have learned to separate "young adult" into separate piles: Dystopian. Romance. Paranormal. Contemporary. And with these piles come different styles, different techniques, and different tastes. In this post (or, heck, in the next sentence), I'll describe what I think of each of them.

Dystopian. This is one of the most popular types of YA book, but I'm actually not too crazy about it. I've enjoyed the most popular dystopians, like Divergent by Veronica Roth and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, but a lot of the others I just can't get into-partially because they feel derivative and partially because I can't wrap my mind around the rules of these societies.

Of this genre, I would recommend... "Anthem" by Ayn Rand. It was written in 1937, before young adult was even a genre, or before dystopian had taken over the market. And maybe that's why I liked it so much.

Contemporary. I feel right at home with contemporary novels. Contemporary can be anything, as long as it's realistic (though I've read a few that are better fantasies than Twilight), and often deal with real life issues. I love them because they can be funny, they can be cute, they can be serious, or they can be downright depressing. Either way, I love the variety I can find in the contemporary section. I'm not saying that all of the contemporary books are great, or even good, but I've had better success with contemporary than any other genre.

Of this genre, I would recommend...This is hard, but I suppose I would recommend "A Really Awesome Mess" by Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin. I found the characters hilarious, and even though it got a bit raunchy at parts, it was entertaining right until the last word.

Romance. I'm sorry, but I can't do romance. I think I've touched on this in an earlier post, but most (not all, but most) romances drive me insane. Not only do I get annoyed with/jealous of the characters who claim to have no boy experience yet seem to win them all over with one bat of the eye, they seem like reruns of each other. How many times have I read "Mary Sue had a perfect life, but then she met the bad boy Gary Stu" on the back of a book cover? Or "Troubled Tammy just wanted escape, and with Dangerous David, she finally got one?" Or "In this modern remake of Romeo and Juliet" (when in actuality, the plot has no basis in Romeo and Juliet other than their parents and friends don't like each other)? If someone can find me a romance novel that's realistic, or even just original, I'd gladly read it, but until then, romances are at the bottom of my to-read list.

Of this genre, I would recommend..."Perfect Chemistry" by Simone Elkeles. Though a bit soap opera-ish at points, it's a great read. The characters are sympathetic, and it's adorable to watch then try to fight their feelings for each other. And I don't say that often!

Paranormal. Paranormal has a heavy implication of "romance," and though that's not necessarily the case, I kind of throw them in the same barrel and ignore them. I know that's not fair, but when I see blatant Twilight ripoffs staring me in the face in the paranormal section at the bookstore, I can't help but to generalize. Because of this, I haven't really tried many paranormal novels, but I have enjoyed most of the ones I've read.

Of this genre, I would recommend... "Forgive My Fins" by Tera Lynn Childs. When I read this book several years ago, I fell in love with it, and especially the main characters, Lily and Quinn. It's a great novel all around that really deserves a reread. Thumbs way, way up.

Multicultural. Multicultural novels are like contemporary novels, but include the aspects of cultures other than American culture. These novels, often written by immigrants or people who have lived in these countries, are compelling when written well, and really teach you about another culture that's actually really cool, once you get to know about it. I like this genre because it's unique and interesting.

Of this genre, I would recommend...I actually haven't read a good one lately, but the book I'm going to recommend for historical fiction, "Moon at Nine," fits into this category quite nicely.

Historical fiction. Remember those books you used to have to read for book reports set during the American Revolution ? Maybe you could get extra credit for coming to school dressed up as one of the characters. Sound familiar? Well, these types of books can also be found in Young Adult, and though they're underrepresented, they're usually really good when I get my hands on one.

Of this genre, I would recommend..."Moon at Nine" by Deborah Ellis. Set in 1990 Iran, it's a truly gripping a novel of lesbian lovers in a world where members of the LGBT community can be legally executed. Whether you're for or against gay rights, it's a book that everyone should give a read. It's that good.

Mystery. This popular adult genre has been making a rise in young adult, too, but unfortunately, most of these mysteries are serials about rich, white girls going missing or being brutally murdered in the safety of their plush suburban homes. I used to enjoy those types of books, but they're so overdone now that all I can say is BO-RING. I'd take a John Grisham over a "Pretty Little Liars" ripoff any day, and, fortunately, there are some young adult books like his out there, if you're willing to do some digging first.

Of this genre, I would recommend..."Buzzkill" by Beth Fantaskey. Both compelling and laugh out loud funny, the story, its bumbling protagonist Millie, and her mysterious partner, Chase, stayed with me long after the last page.

Any subcategories I forgot? Do you have any romance novels you think I'd like? Comment below!

This will be a short post, but I just wanted to pop in and say Merry Christmas! Hopefully you're enjoying yourself with the people you love and a lot of food. :)I just want to thank you all for your support and nice comments over these past few months. They haven't actually been all that great, but this blog has been a bright spot for me. So whether you've been reading this for the long run or just pulled this up from a random Gogle search, thanks for tuning in. :)It's almost time to eat here, so I have to go. I leave you with this lovely "tree." And could it be a clue to the project I've been working on lately? ;) Time will tell.Any guesses? Comment below.Happy Holidays!T

I'm back! I've been on winter break lately, and it's been uneventful so far. Of course, after a hectic semester, I'm rather enjoying being able to kick back and do something I've dearly missed-read.

Recently, I've been checking out the library's eBook selection in their Virtual Library. Usually I can find some random but cool books, and this "trip" was no exception. Yesterday, I happened to stumble upon something that made my inner band geek sing.

This is the book that I would have been obsessed with in seventh grade, when I was always looking for fellow band geeks in young adult literature but never finding them. :( But even though I've entered the realm of high school marching band (and, with it, found some cool new books), I snapped it up anyway, anxious to read it and hopeful for a new book to add to my band book collection. Fortunately, I was not disappointed.

Here's the synopsis:

Holly Mead’s first day of seventh grade isn’t going as planned. Her brother ruins her carefully chosen outfit, she’s almost late, and her new band director has some surprisingly strict rules. Worst of all, it seems like her best friend, Julia, has replaced her with Natasha, the pretty, smart, new French horn player! Holly is determined to get first chair, but Natasha is turning out to be some pretty stiff competition—and not just in band. Band might be a competition, but friendship isn’t—and Holly needs to figure it out before she loses Julia for good.

First Impressions (my first thoughts when I read the synopsis and the sample): Seems really lighthearted and fun! But Holly needs to lighten up.

Second Impressions (my thoughts right after reading the book): First of all, almost all of the band books feature horn players. Why is this? I've never seen a flute playing protagonist. Flute's a perfectly respectable instrument. Plus, I play it, so that makes it twice as awesome. ;)Second of all, this was pitch perfect, both when it comes to band and seventh grade. I remember when I joined the "junior high school" band at my private school, and how it meant more opportunities to perform at football games and pep rallies. I saw the same excitement in Holly, and it made me smile.This book also brought back some of the not-so-fun memories of seventh grade. A lot of friend drama sets in during seventh grade, and I could relate to Holly's pain and jealousy when she felt that Natasha was "stealing" Julia from her. I also empathized with her when she started to have trouble in school, and when she had trouble with her crush. Actually, except for the fact that she played French horn and was a perfectionist, Holly was basically me in junior high.Speaking of her perfectionism, it actually wasn't as annoying as I thought it would be. It lead some interesting situations as she tried to meet her high expectations for herself, and when others didn't meet her expectations. It lead to some bad choices, but hey-who wants a perfect character, right? (Ironic as that statement is.)

Third Impression (my thoughts after analyzing it to death): This is a cute look at middle school band (something that, in my opinion, is desperately needed). It's perfect for the middle school crowd, and I think it would be a nice addition to school libraries, too (it's squeaky clean).

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars. :)

Final Thoughts: YEAH GO BAND GEEKS!

Have you ever read this book? What did you think? Also, do you have any recommendations for me to review? Comment below!

When I post these on Goodreads or Amazon (a feature I hope to add soon-fingers crossed!), I'll do some creative rounding to fit with their five star policy, but for now, I'm sticking with ten stars. :)

Hi, guys! I've been super busy lately, so I'm actually writing this the day of. And I'm on this weird browser mode on my phone, too, so sorry if it doesn't look so great at at first. I plan on editing it later.

So, this month's prompt is:

“What works of fiction have taught you by example, and what did they teach you?”

Because I watch little to no TV, I learn most of my life's lessons from books. One of the major things I've learned is that words are more powerful than anything. This theme is common, but never gets old because it's so important. Here are some of my favorite examples of this are in the following books:

Wonder, R. J. Palacio

This book, about a boy with a facial deformity, is a children's book that every adult needs to read. The words that people cruelly throw at this poor boy break my heart, but what's even worse is how he's internalized them, so that he truly believes he is ugly and scary. Another thing that this book wisely points out is the difference between saying you're a friend and being a friend. Words have power, but not if you misuse them. If you haven't read this book, stop reading this post and go read it now. It's the one book that I can recommend to anyone and everyone.

Mission UnPopular, Anna Humphrey

This is one of my favorite chick lit books for a few reasons: a) It doesn't sugarcoat things, b) they don't slap a Band-Aid on the end like so, so many other books of the genre, and c) it packs a punch-and a message. The angry, hurt protagonist, Margo Button, falls under the sway of a charismatic yet cruel new girl who tells Margo what she wants to hear after so many years of being rejected by her classmates, and it shows how easily that we can be manipulated by someone who tells us what we want to hear. It also shows how verbal abuse can bring us to our breaking point, whether it's harming yourself or harming others. Margo made some bad choices, but I still empathized with her because she felt like it was the only way to get back at the mean girl and feel the acceptance that she deserved. As someone who's felt that way before, that pretty much slugged me in the heart.This one's also on Amazon!

Empty, K.M. Walton

This cataclysmic tale of bullying preaches. It reminds the reader that just because someone is laughing doesn't mean that they think your mean words are funny. As someone who uses self-deprecating humor to cope with hurt and anger, Dell seemed exactly like me in some parts. Of course, Dell has other issues in her life, too, which brings me to my second lesson from this book: You have no idea what someone's dealing with on the inside. I've learned this multiple times (sometimes the hard way), and this book just reinforced my belief in this rule. Empty also taught me how important it is to be that one spot of kindness in someone's day, because it might be all that they get.

Those are the top three books that have taught me how to live, excluding Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girls (neither of which really need explaining). If you can, I highly recommend you check those books out. They're three of my favorites ever, which says a lot, because I've read a lot of books.If you have read those books, would you agree with me on my commentary? Comment below!Until then, time to start relearning literally everything for finals week. Whoopee!T

P.S. Who can tell me where this post's title came from? Comment below! :)

Hi, procrastinators! I'm back to give you Tip Tuesday (which I have gotten way behind on). Anyone who's ever read my rant book on Wattpad knows that one of the things I hate the most is when people don't research the topic they're writing about. I don't want to get my heart rate up so late at night, so I won't go into the rant, but not researching is inexcusable in the Information Age, where you can open up another tab while reading this, google something, and get millions of results in millionths of a second. (For example, I'm also doing my physics homework right now. I Googled "conservation of energy" and got 140,000,000 results in 0.43 seconds. Not having enough information is not an excuse, unless you don't have a computer or something.)

This post is NOT to rant (that was for myself, not for you guys), but for those who want to do research but don't know how to do it. Or maybe the word "research" fills you with fear, and you want to learn how to conquer said fear. (Don't worry, by the way. You should only fear the word "research" when it's said in school.) For both groups, here's some ways to start your research.

-Start with a broad Google search. Form there, pick out the good informational sites to get an objective base. For example, if you're looking up an illness, be sure to look at sites like WebMD, which are fact checked by doctors. Wikipedia's okay, but I wouldn't rely solely on it. Avoid the forums and the Yahoo Answers for now.

-Be sure to look at more than one source. Relying on one source is tricky (because it may be wrong) as well as limiting (another source may go into more depth in a certain section, or offer a different perspective). Be sure to read a few sources.-So now that you've gotten a technical understanding, you need that personal touch to go along with your (hopefully) three-dimensional characters. Now you should raid the forums, read others' stories, and see how these people ae like your character-or how they can shape them. -Be creative in finding sources. Can you get your hands on a free autobiography in snook format? Is there an official website for information or advocacy? Can you ask people questions via email or chat? The more you do, the better developed your characters and book will be. Research is very important, but it's not as daunting as it seems. In fact, it can even be...dare I say it...fun. How do you research? Comment below! Until then, enjoy this lovely short video that managed to be the subject of an entire physics lab. T